Monthly Archives: July 2012

After having written the last two posts connected with “Child Theology” I asked myself the question in the title.

And I have a few suggestions but I would love to hear what readers think too.

My first thought is that children are imaginative and spontaneous. For too many of us, the older we get, the less spontaneous we become and we are governed by what other people think and past failures. Children are not bound by that.

My second thought is that God’s uses the young at their stage of development. I have some suggestions from the Bible to back my ideas up.

When Joseph had his youthful dreams about his brothers and family, aged wisdom would have told him to keep his mouth shut. Experience tells us that blabbing these dreams would be a mistake. However Joseph in his immaturity and ego centered youthfulness informs the family. Even his dad was annoyed. Foolish as this was, Joseph’s actions ultimately led to his family’s rescue from starvation.

God used Miriam as the responsible older sister care for her baby brother.

Other events include Isaac’s childlike innocence when being prepared as a sacrifice and David’s childlike faith and idealism when facing Goliath. There is also Samuel’s childlike openness to the idea that God was speaking to him. How many of us would have been that open?

My contention is that God used young people because they had qualities that age had removed from the next generation. Are we missing out on the qualities of our young people simply because we are judging and assessing them on a maturity that we may have but that they haven’t reached?

What are we as churches and families missing out on by not recognising that childishness and youth also have a place in the kingdom?

The other day I mentioned the impressive “Child Theology” movement which strives to consider the impact of the child on theological thinking. (See: https://pieterstok.com/2012/07/15/child-theology/).

Today I want to make a simple observation: Children have an amazing place and role in Scripture. Not only are they made in God’s image, like the rest of us, and not only are they part of the pain and joy of God’s people, but God also uses children in a direct way to achieve His ends.

Let us consider some examples:

1. Joseph (OT) was a young lad of 17 when he started his journey under God’s hand to be his family’s improbable saviour.

2. Samuel went to serve the Lord in the temple after he was weaned – he was very young.

3. David is the forgotten young man who God sets aside to become King of Israel

4. In the midst of rebellion, Josiah became a godly King at 8 years of age.

5. Jeremiah started his work as a prophet at 14 years of age.

There are many more, not the least Mary who became the mother of the Messiah. At Pentecost, Peter especially mentions the young as a group of God’s people upon whom the Spirit of God is poured.

I believe there is a challenge for parents and church leaders to remember these facts, that is, to acknowledge openly and often, the significance of the young in the church and God’s call and claim upon their lives. I also believe that this is an antidote to the directionless teenage years and the ennui that seems to grab hold of too many of our young people.

If the young have a place and a purpose in the kingdom, why are they so often neglected in the church when it comes to active roles? We may teach them and even pander to them but do we challenge them to service, as God did, and still does?